Associate of Science
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice
Your career starts in our associate degree program in Criminal Justice. You’ll be led by instructors with real-world criminal justice experience who know what it takes to succeed. Your immersive, interactive learning will feature criminal investigations, use-of-force scenarios, and firearm simulations. Students earning their degree on ground will also train on our MILO Range Pro judgmental training system. Milo Range Pro is a professional simulation training system with real-life scenarios of non-animated actors wielding various weapons and target practice drills used by police and government agencies. Students engage with the training system and debrief at the end of the scene.
There’s a growing need for leaders and professionals in public safety, Homeland Security, security management, corrections, law enforcement, private security, and emergency services. Our associate degree program in Criminal Justice is designed to prepare you to answer that need. Our program addresses this demand with hands-on learning, simulation scenarios, key certifications, and a valuable internship.
PTC’s on-campus degree program is tailored to people interested in entering the field of Criminal Justice. Tailored to working adults, you’ll get the education you need to round out your experience.
Outside of the classroom, our students also gain real-world experience in Criminal Justice operations and facilities in Allegheny County.
Career Skills
Skills to help save lives:
- Valid arrest, search, seizure, admission, and confession techniques
- Constitutional rights of individuals
- Conducting a criminal investigation
- Handling internal and external threats
- Proper use of force
- Situational awareness
- Positioning, cuffing, searching, and take-downs
- Writing a proper police report
- Defensive tactics
- Different burdens of proof
- Sketching and photographing a crime scene
- Collecting evidence
- Fingerprinting
- Footprint casting
- Interviewing techniques
- Characteristics of juvenile offenders
- Escape techniques
- Risk assessment
- Identifying terrorist activities
- Laws regarding private security
- Employee screening
- Injury care
Career Opportunities
The diverse array of employers looking for qualified professionals includes:
- County government detective units
- 911 dispatch centers
- Armored transportation companies
- Colleges and universities
- Corrections institutions
- Drilling sites
- Emergency management businesses
- Energy and gas companies
- Gaming facilities
- Hotels, resorts, conference centers
- Internet security companies
- Municipal courts
- Parks, plants, corporate campuses
- Police departments
- Halfway houses
- Private security companies
- Probation and parole departments
- Property developers
- Protective services
- Retail establishments
- State and federal courts
- Substance abuse centers
- Surveillance firms
Our recent graduates are working in positions such as:
- Police Officer
- Corrections Officer
- Security Officer
- Community Corrections Monitor
- Loss Prevention Detective
- Hospital Police Officer
- Hotel/Resort Security Officer
Employers of PTC Graduates
When you’re ready to start your job search, our dedicated Career Services staff will help you, just as they’ve helped our grads who’ve been hired by employers* including:
- G4S
- Meadows Casino
- Rite Aid
- Allegheny County Jail
- Brink’s Inc.
- Jefferson County Jail
- Homeland Security and Intelligence
- Loomis U.S.
- Seven Springs Mountain Resort
- Hershey Entertainment & Resorts
- Peak Security
- Kennywood Park
- Washington Hospital
- UPMC
- Pittsburgh Police
- Pennsylvania State Police
*Some employers may require a background check and drug screening prior to employment. Applicants for the Criminal Justice program must pass a required background check.
Program Courses
Program Requirements (56 credits)
- *Computer Applications
- Introduction to Criminology & Criminal Justice
- Introduction to Policing
- Introduction to Homeland Security
- Criminal Procedure
- Principles of EOC/Dispatch
- Criminal Investigations
- Criminal Law
- Modern Correction Issues
- Cyber Crime
- Casino and Lodging Security
- Security and Loss Prevention
- ***ACT 235 Certification Preparation or Juvenile Justice
- Report Writing for Criminal Justice Profession
Career Readiness Requirements (13 credits)
- Steps to Career Success 1
- Steps to Career Success 2
- Steps to Career Success 3
- Career Development
- **Internship
General Education Requirements (32 credits)
- English Composition 1
- English Composition 2
- Effective Speech
- College Mathematics
- +Psychology
- Critical Thinking
- +Social Problems
- +Leadership Principles
*Successful completion of this course requires a grade of “C” or better.
**Academic Chair/Dean approval needed to take GSI212 Career Exploration Capstone in lieu of GSI192 Internship.
***Act 235 Certification Preparation is available only to PA residents who are enrolled in the program. Students must qualify. Availability may be limited.
+May be substituted with a different GES course
Program Highlights
PTC’s Criminal Justice program prepares you for certifications in:
- NIMS – National Incident Management System
- Students who meet enrollment criteria may take ACT 235 training.*
- Certified Lodging Security Officer from the American Hotel and Lodging Institute
- ICS—Incident Command Systems
*Act 235 Certification Preparation is available only to PA residents who are enrolled in the program. Students must qualify. Availability may be limited.
What’s New(s)
Our Criminal Justice program is getting a lot of attention from local media, and for good reason. Check out the coverage below for the full story.
WTAE
Sheetz employee recognized as hero
A local Sheetz employee can add “hero” to her list of titles. Logan McCarthy, a Pittsburgh Technical College student, was honored Friday for saving a person’s life at Sheetz in McCandless. McCarthy used past training to help a man who entered the store bleeding from his wrist on Feb. 22.
